Yup. It definitely feels like winter when I pile on the knitting and crocheting projects. We'll see how far I get on these two as I hunker down this weekend, cozying up against this early arctic blast. I'm thinking I should move to Denmark for some Danish Hygge's. (thanks for the link sistah, you're right, it does sound like me!)

Yesterday was our fifth day home from school because of freezing temperatures. Will January be done already?

Home bound (again)I decided it was time to try something new. My friend bought this wooden spindle for the preschool a few years ago. It was time I figured out how to use it. There are tons of tutorials on youtube with great instructions, but the spindles all had a hook on the end. This one has a notch! I ended up tying the yarn into the notch to keep it in place. Tying and untying was a pain, but after a while I fell into a rhythm and figured it out.

As you can see by the uneven texture of my yarn, I have a lot of practice if I want to get it right. It was fun to give it a whirl though.

I did a little ornament swap with Aunt Peaches. If you don't know Peaches, she is one glitzy gal...and she is crazy about flamingos. The top flamingo is the one I made for her. Nothing too sparkly about needle felted wool so I added as much angelina fiber to it as I could to give it a little shine. Not too visible in this photograph. The one I got from her is the bottom photograph. I love her brass legs, long and skinny, sticking out amid the fluff. I also loved that we both used feathers.

We celebrated just one birthday at the preschool in March (which makes me very nervous as I realize we will have to squeeze the remaining ten celebrations into the last seven weeks left of school *gulp*). Our darling Ruby turned five. I needed to make her a gnome girl doll as playing with the gnomes is one of her most favorite things to do at school. If I don't make a pouch for the gift, then I usually give the doll something to hold. In Ruby's case, the bunny was the perfect thing to place in the gnome girl's arms. Quiet and gentle, sweet and considerate, yet courageous and strong willed are some of Ruby's best qualities...I will miss dearly her when she goes to Kindergarten next year.

It was easy to choose a color for the doll. Ruby loves purple, wears it almost every day.

We celebrated three birthdays at the preschool last month. I kept myself pretty busy with needle and roving. I'm a wee bit relieved the next birthday isn't until the middle of January. Here's what I made...

This is the start of a little stitching project I made for a friend who has suffered much loss in her life. Her gratitude for my small gift over-flowed. It served as a reminder at how wonderful it feels to give. Doing something for someone else really can do a lot for you too.

Last summer I participated in Regina's Art of Giving e-course and she's offering it again next month. Her class was like a little retreat for me. After getting the boys to bed, it was my special place to go and learn and be inspired. Through videos, Regina teaches so many wonderful techinques in painting and collage and beading and each day we were taught new forms of expression through artwork. It was a wonderful experience and I recommend her course to everyone.

And right now, Regina is giving a spot in her class away. Go quickly to her blog and leave a comment here- give-away ends today.